Theodob hansen



(No Model.)

T. HANSEN.

BOOK HOLDER.

N0. 362,741. 9 Patented May 10, 1887.

w 7 BY MW 2 ATTORNEYS.

siren STATES THEODOR HANSEN, OF BROOKLYN, NE\V YORK.

BOOK-HOLDER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 362,741, dated May 10, 1887.

(No model.)

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that L'Tnnonon HANSEN, of the city of Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Book-Holder, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention relates to a holder adapted to keep a book open for reading or reference,and has for its object to provide a simple, inexpensive, and efficient device of this character.

The invention consists in certain novel features of construction and combinations of parts of the book holder, all as hereinafter fully described and claimed.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 is a front perspective view of my improved book'holder as applied to use. Fig. 2 is a rear perspective view thereof. Fig. 3is a plan view of the book-holder. Fig. 4 is an under side view thereof. Fig. 5 is a cross-see tional view of the base of the holder, taken on the line am, Fig. 3. Fig. 6 is a sideview of one of the book-supporting posts of the holder and a portion of the slide to which it is attached partly broken away and in section; and Fig. 7 is a cross-section through the post on the line y 3 Fig. 6.

The base or platform A of the bookholder is made as lightly as possible in cast metal, with corner-1egs a, to support it on a table or shelf, and with parallel depressions orgrooves a a in its top face, forming ways in which slides B C may be moved forward and backward. The bases of the grooves a a are cut away or slotted, as at a, to lighten the base A, and also give room for the passage of the screws b c, which are fitted to turn in the slides, and are threaded into nuts I) 0, respectively, which underlap the bottom of the base A at the sides of the grooves a a", and the slides B C have downwardly-projecting fixed lugs b 0 which have suitable milled heads, allowing them to be operated conveniently.

To the base A, atits front and next theslide B, there is fixed, by a screw, (1, or otherwise, a post, D, which inclines backward from the base, and is provided with a foot-plate, D, on which the lower edge of a book may rest,while the back or cover of the book rests against the post. The post is provided with an angular lateral bend, as at d, giving a broad bearing to the book-cover,while allowing the post to be made narrow and light in cast metal, and the rear face of the post is concaved or hollowed ont to promote lightness, and the front face of the post is also grooved to provide for holding a woven or braided cord, E, which is interlaced through holes in the post and held thereto by knotting the ends of the cord at 66 at the back of the post. The cord E prevents damage to the book-cover by holding it off a little from the face of the metal post.

An inclined post, F, having a foot-plate, F, and made like the post D, and with a facecord, E, and a lateral bend, is secured by a serew,f, or otherwise to the front end of the slide 0, and whereby as the slideO is moved backward or forward the fixed and movable posts D F may have different relative positions for holding the book, as presently explained. I prefor to form notches in the feet of the posts D F, into which ribs, as at a*, on the base A and slide 0, respectively, pass to prevent twisting of the posts on their supports.

To and between lugsg 9, formed on or fixed to the forward end of one of the slides, the slide B, as shown there, is pivoted on a horizontally-ranging clamp-screw, G, the end h of a metal link, H, to the other end, h, of which is pivoted by a pin or bolt, I, ranging at a rightangle with the pivot G, a metal arm, J, which may be swung from right to left on this pivot, and to the outer end of the arm J is pivoted, at K, one end ofa light wooden arm, L, intended to lie across and bear on eitherside page of a book, as hereinafter described.

In using the book-holder, and when bcginning to read a book, M, the slide C, carrying the post F, will be slid backward in the base A, and will be fastened by its screw 0 to hold the post Fa distance back of the fixed postD corresponding to the combined thickness of all or most of the pages of the book and allow the right-hand part, m, of the book-cover to rest fairly on the post F on its cord E, while the left-hand part, m, of the book-cover rests fairly on the post D or its cord E, and the lower edge of the book rests on the foot-plate F of the post F. The slide B will next be adjusted in the base A, and thelink H will also be adj usted or swung on the pivot-screw G, to allow I the arm L to bear fairly onto the pages of the open book, as shown in Fig. 1, and the screws 1) G of the slide and page-holding device will be tightened. 1When reading the left-hand page, 14, of the book M, the arm J will be thrown on its pivot I over the right-hand page, 15, and the arm L will be swung on its pivot K toward the left-hand page, as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. l of the drawings, and when reading the right-hand page, 15, the arm J will be swung over the left-hand page, 14, while the arm L is swung over toward the right hand, as shown in full lines in Fig. 1. It is obvious that the arm L may bear on one or both pages of the book to hold them fully open, however the arm J may be laterally adjusted, and, as the person reads either page down to where it is covered by the arm L it is only necessary to touch the arm and swing it up edgewise to uncover the printed matter which had been concealed from the eye by the arm.

As the person reads about to the middle of the book, the slide 0 will be loosened and shifted forward to carry its post F about into line with the fixed post D, and the slideB may be adjusted outward a little, if necessary, to give the arm Lthe best bearing on the pages of the book, and at this time the lower edge of the book will rest fairly on the foot-plates D F of both posts D F, and as the reading progresses, so that the combined thickness of the pages next the cover m of the book is considerably greater than the thickness of the unread pages next the right-hand cover, m, the slide 0 will be moved toward the reader to carry its post F forward of the post D a distance equaling the difference in thickness of the right and left hand pages of the book, and the slide 0 will then be fastened by its screw 0, and the book will rest on the foot-plate D of the post D. When the pages or leaves of the book are to be turned, the armsJ L, when the pivot-screw G is loosened, may be swung down toward the reader on said pivot clear of the pages, or the arms J L may simply be swung down together to either side and below the pages of the book on the pivot I of the arm J.

It is obvious that the holder may be very quickly adjusted for holding a large or small book or a thick or thin book for reading or reference.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. A book-holder made with a base, two

posts supported thereby and adapted to support the opposite sides of an open book, one of said posts being fixed to the base and the other to a slide movable on the base, and whereby the posts are made relatively adjustable by shifting the slide to accommodate the greater thickness of either side of the open book on either post, substantially as specified, and arms connected pivotallyto the base and adapted to swing sidewise of the open book to hold its pages and to fold down below the book to allow turning of its pages, substau tially as described, for the purposes set forth.

2. The combination, in a book-holder, of a base, A, a post, D, fixed thereto, a slide, .0, fitted adjustabl y in the base, and a post, F, held to slide 0, substantially as shown and described, whereby the post F may be adjusted in planes forward or in rear of thepost D by shifting the slide 0, as and for the purposes set forth.

3. The combination, in a book-holder, of a base, A, a post, D, fixed thereto, a slide, 0, fitted adj ustably to the base, and a post, F, on

slide 0, whereby the post F may be adjusted in planes forward or in rear of the post D by shifting the slide 0, substantially as specified, a slide, B, fitted adj ustably to the base to move from front to rear, and a pair of arms, J L, pivotally connected to the slide B and to each other for lateral adjustment over either side page of a book and to fold down below the book toallow turning of its pages, substantiall y as shown and described.

4. The combination, in a book-holder, of a base, A, a post, D, fixed thereto, a slide, 0, Y

from front to rear, a link, H, pivoted at G to the slide B, and a pair of arms, J L, pivotally connected to each other at K and to the link H at I, substantially as described, for the purposes set forth.

5. In a book-holder, the page-holding device comprising a link, as H, pivoted to a base or support so as to swing in vertical plane, and two arms, J L, pivoted together at K and to the link H at I so as to move laterally, substantially as described, for the purposes set forth.

6. In a bookholder, the page-holding device comprising a slide, as B, fitted in a base carrying book-supports, a link, H, pivoted at Gto the slide to swing in vertical plane toward and from the book, and arms J and L, pivoted to each other at K and to the link H at I to move laterally, substantially as described, for the purposes set forth.

THEODOR HANSEN.

Witnesses:

HENRY L. Goonwm, O. SEDGWICK. 

